Who should pay for college tuition?

My advice was featured today in an article by allParenting:

Christina Newberry is the author of The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home and founder of the site Adult Children Living at Home. She says, “I paid my own college tuition through scholarships and part-time jobs and my parents took care of most of my housing expenses for the first two years. While what I did would likely not be possible with current tuition rates, I am a firm believer that it’s a good idea for kids to have a financial stake in their college education by paying at least some of their own tuition. Having some ‘skin in the game’ helps them take their years at school more seriously and feel a sense of ownership for their education. Similarly, if students are living with their parents to save money while attending school, I recommend they pay some kind of rent — even if it’s only a token amount or if the payment comes in the form of doing extra chores around the house. This all helps with the transition from childhood to adulthood and starts to create realistic expectations about what’s required to survive in the real world.”

AdultChildrenLivingatHome.com has been in the news a couple of times recently, offering tips for parents dealing with adult children returning home after college. The Ventura County Reporter's story Boomerang Generation: From high hopes to grim…